Christiana Care earns 2016 Leading Disability Employer Seal

Christiana Care Health System is one of only 27 organizations to earn the 2016 Leading Disability Employer Seal from the National Organization on Disability (NOD). This is the first year the Seal has been awarded, a new effort by NOD to recognize companies that demonstrate exemplary hiring and employment practices for people with disabilities.

“Serving as respectful, expert, caring partners with our neighbors is The Christiana Care Way,” said Tom Corrigan, Christiana Care CFO and executive sponsor of Project SEARCH, an initiative to hire people with disabilities. “Partnering with colleagues who have differences personifies our commitment to diversity and inclusion.”

The NOD Seal is awarded based on an organization’s disability practices in several areas: Climate and Culture; Identifying and Sourcing Talent; Onboarding; Performance Management; and Tracking and Measurement.

In fiscal year 2016, Christiana Care’s efforts included:

• Recruitment and job placement for Project SEARCH student interns at Christiana Hospital.
• Job skills development through the Easter Seals Summer Internship at Wilmington Hospital.
• The Multicultural Heritage Committee’s Disabilities Awareness and Resource Expos at both Wilmington and Christiana Hospitals.
• Dedicating a talent adviser to champion disabilities employment initiatives for the health system.

“It all goes back to our culture of extraordinary people,” said Nicole D’Ambrosio, talent adviser, Human Resources, Talent Acquisition Strategy. “Our employees with disabilities are demonstrating every day that they are an exceptional part of our team at Christiana Care.”

In the past five years, Christiana Care has hosted 41 Project SEARCH student interns and extended offers to 19 of the program’s graduates.

Christiana Care also partnered with Easter Seals to help the organization assess its clients by providing work-based experience.

NOD Chairman Tom Ridge congratulated Christiana Care and other honorees for blazing a trail as national leaders in hiring people with disabilities.

“They have seen the untapped potential of this talent pool,” he said. “They have dedicated resources to welcome individuals with disabilities into their companies. And they are reaping the rewards of a diverse and productive workforce.”

NOD is a private, non-profit organization that seeks to increase employment opportunities for the 80 percent of working-age Americans with disabilities who are currently not employed.